Frogless switch



(Nd Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. B. PRICE. FROGLESS SWITCH.

- Patented Nov. 23,1886.

(No Model.) 7 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' C. B. PRICE.

FROGLBSS SWITCH. V No. 353,002. Patented'N-ov, 23, 1886.

4 SheetsSheet 3.

(No Model.)

G. B. PRICE.

FROGLB'SS SWITCH.

Patented Nov. 28, 1886..

MMJX/M Q -YFL ML Z/W WM/ 4 Sheets-'Sheet 4.

(NoModL) 0.113. PRI 'O'E.

FROGLESS'SWITGH.

No, 353,002. Patentedmvrzs, 1 886.

6AM 0ml (UM PATENT Fries.

CHARLES B. PRICE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA;

FROGLESS SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 353,002, dated November23 1886. Application filed May 1, 1886. Serial No. 200,894. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. PRICE, residing atPittsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvementsin Frogless Switches, of which improvement the following is aspecification.

In the accompanying. drawings, which make part of this specification,Figure 1 is a plan View of a railway switch or siding having my improvedmovable frog embodied therewith, the switch being shown closed to thesiding and the frog clear of the main rails. Fig. 2 is a similar view,the switch being shown open to the siding and the movable froginposition. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the movable frog on an enlargedscale. Fig. 4. is a view in side elevation of the frog, looking inthedirection ofthe arrow a, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3,showing a modification of the frog. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on theline z z,-Fig. 5. Figs. 7 and 8 are similar views in the linesw ac andyf y, respectively, of.Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a View in side elevation of themovable frog,looking toward the inner side thereof. Fig. 10 is aperspective View of a portion of a railway,showing my improved froglessswitch.

The invention herein relates to certain improvements in that class orkind of switches in-which an unbroken main-line rail is preserved,special reference being had to that pe cnliar construction andarrangement of switch shown, described, and claimed in Letters PatentNo. 310,613, J anuary13, 1885, No. 323,569, August 4, 1885, and N 0.335,238, January 2, 1886, which have been granted to me.

In each of the'above-mentioned patents provision is made for raising upthe wheels of cars passing to and from the siding to such a height thatthe flanges of the wheels will ride over the main rail,and at the sametimea practically clear main line will be preserved for the passage oftrains therealong while the frograil is in position for the siding.WVhile the construction and arrangement of switch set forth in saidpatents are efiective in producing. the desired result, they are open tocertain I objections in practical operationas, for extremities, in orderthat wheels passing along the main track may meet with as slightobstruction as possible, might in use be broken off by sudden blows frompassing wheels. Another feature which might be objectionable is theposition of the frog across the line of the leading-in rail whentheswitch is closed or set for main line, so that in case the frog ismoved before the car-wheels entering the switch have passed over themovable frog the wheels will strike the frog and either break it or bederailed. s e

The object of the invention herein is to provide for the raising of thecar-Wheels to the desired height in passing along the main line when theswitch is open or set for siding without injuriously weakening thesafety-wings; to provide such amovement for the frog that it will beentirely out of the line of the leading-in rail when the switch isclosed or set for main-line; to provide a practically continuous treadfor thewheels while passing from theleading-in rail to the frog,and toprovide a movable leading-in-rail section in order that the same may bemoved entirely away from the main rail when the switch is closed or setfor main line; and to these ends the invention consists, in generalterms,in the construction and combination of parts, substantially ashereinafter described and claimed.

The main rails 1 and 2 and the switch-rails 3 and 4 are arranged ascustomaryin switches or sidings, and adjacent to the point wheremainrail 1 and theouter switch-rail, 4. In

forward end of the portion 7 is provided with an extension, 8, arrangedat such an angle to the portion as to be when in operative posi tion inline with the rail 3, forming a continuw ation of said rail.

The rear end of the mova- The IOC

ble rail 7 is provided with a vertically-inclined and angular extension,9, having an eye at its end, through which passes the pin 10, on whichthe movable section 7 turns as apivot. Along the inner edge of themovable section 7 is formed a groove, 11, for the passage of the flangesof car-wheels moving along the main line when the swich isopen or setfor siding. Ordinarily the rib 12 lies alongside or very slightly overthe tread of the main rail when the section 7 is in operative position,as shown in Figs. 7 and 8; but, if desired, said section may be widened,so that the rib will extend farther over the main rail, as shown inFigs. 5 and 6.

The movable frog A is constructed somewhat similar to the frog shown anddescribed in the Letters Patent above referred to, having thesafety-wings 13 and 14, constructed as set forth in said patents, toextend over and rest upon the main rail 2 when the switch is open or setfor siding; but in lieu of said wings being tapered down to a thin orknife edge at their ends, so as to form an inclined or wedgelike pathfor the car-wheels, said wings are made comparatively short and are onlyslightly inclined, thus leaving the wings comparatively thick at theirends, and thereby avoiding any liability of breakage by the passage ofwheels. Provision is made for the gradual raising of passing wheels tothe desired height by extensions 15 and 16 from the ends of the wings,said extensions being constructed to rest against the outer side of themain rail, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 6, and being inclined upwardlyfrom their outer ends, which are made of a height slightly less than theheight of the main rail, as shown in Figs. 4 and 9. These extensions 15and 16 have a firm hearing on the cross-ties or upon plates fastenedthereon, and are so proportioned asto engage the outer edges of thetread of the car-wheels and raise them an inch (more or less) above thetread of the main rail before said wheels engage or bear upon the wings13 and 14.

In the patents above referred to the frog is shown pivoted at its rearend adjacent to the end of the inner switch-rail. Ifin such anarrangement the switch should be thrown before the last pair of wheelsof any trains entering the switch has passed over the movable frog, thelatter will be thrown across the path of the wheels on theleading-inrail at such an angle as to insure a derailment of the wheels, if notthe destruction of the frog.

I now propose to pivot the movable frog at its point-21 0., the endtoward the switchpoints-for "which purpose the forward wingextension,16, is provided with an eye, 17, for the reception of the pivot-pin 18,secured to one of the cross-ties, the operating-rod 19 be ing connectedto the movable frog at or near its rear end. In this arrangement thefrog is thrown entirely out of the path of wheels moving along theleading-in rail 3 in case of pre mature shifting of the switch, and insuch case the wheels will,with the help of the guard-rail 6, be kept inline with the siding-rails and have an opportunity of regaining thetrack after jumping acrossthe main rail 2.

The movable frog proper is preferably made of three or more parts--towit, the part 20, having the front safety-wing, the part 21, having therear safety-wing, and the heel-rail 22. These parts are all bolted,riveted, or otherwise secured to a base-plate, 23, the part 21, havingthe rear safetywing, being bolted to the heel-rail, thelatter partsbeing further held in proper relation to each other at their rear endsby the cross-plate 24, to which the rod 19 is also connected.

The making of the several parts of the frog separable from each otherrenders it possible to renew or repair one of the parts withoutdisturbing the others. The portion 21 of the frog carrying the rearsatety-wing,14, is made V-shaped, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and isprovided with an angular recess along its upper and outer edge, saidrecess forming, in

connection with the part 20, a groove, 25, for

the passage of wheel-flanges, as clearly shown.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the safety-wings 13 and 14 extend almostentirely across the tread of the main rail when in operative position;but, if desired, said wings may extend only partially across the mainrail, the remaining portion of the tread of the main rail being coveredby the flange 12 of the movable section of the leading-in rail, as shownin Fig. 6.

In order to obtain a practically uniform and continuous tread for wheelspassing from the leading-in rail to the movable section, and from theheel-rail of the frog to the inside rail of the siding, the meeting endsof the stationary and movable portions of the leading-in rail arebeveled off, as shown at 26 in several views, as are also the meetingends of the heel-rail and the inner siding-rail. In addition to theabsence ofjar incident to the continuity of tread, this beveling off ofmeeting ends of rails avoids all difficulty of placing the movable frogand leading'in rail into operative position, as is occasionally causedwhere butt-joints are used by the expansion of the rails.

Alongside of the siding, and extending from the points of theswitchrails to or slightly beyond the location of the frog, is arrangedthe shaft 27, provided with cranks 28, 29, and 30, connected,respectively, by suitable rods, 31, 82, and 19, to the movableswitch-rails, the movable section of the leading-in rail, and to themovablefrog, as clearly shown. The cranks 28 and 30 are arranged on thesame side of the shaft, the crank 29 projecting from the opposite sidethereof as the movable section 7 is moved in an opposite direction fromthat of the switch rails and frog. As will be noticed,

portion of the leading-in rail IIO influence of the hammer-like blows ofsuch I wheels passing in or out of the siding.

I claim herein as my invention 1. A movable frog-rail constructed tobethrown upon the main rail and provided with inclined extensionsadapted to liealongside the main rail, and to raise the wheels of carspassing along the main rails above the level of such rails,substantially as set forth.

2. A movable frog-rail arranged outside of and constructed to form abridge across the main rail for wheels of cars moving into asiding, saidfrog-rail being pivoted. at the end nearest the switch-points,substantially as set v forth.

3. A movable frog-rail constructed to form a bridge across the main railfor wheels of cars moving into asiding, in combination with a leading-inrail having a movable section, said section being pivoted at its rearend, sub-' stantially as set forth.

4. A movable frog-rail having the end of its heel-rail beveled, incombination with the inner siding-rail having its end adjacent to thefrog correspondingly beveled, sustantially as set forth.

5. A movable frograil constructed to form a bridge across the main railfor the wheels of cars moving into a siding, in combination with aleading-in rail having a movable section provided with a groove for thereception of the flanges/of wheels moving along the main rail,substantially as set forth.

6. A movable frog-rail constructed to be thrown upon the main rail and.to partially cover the tread thereof, in combination with a leading-inrail provided with a movable sec tion constructed to be thrown upon andpartially over the main rail, forming in connection with the movablefrog a tread for the wheels moving along the main rail, said movablesection being provided with a groove for the flanges of such wheels,substantially as set In testimony whereof I have hereunto setmyhand.

CHARLES B. PRICE. Witnesses: DARWIN S. VWOLCOTT,

R. H. WHITTLESEY.

